Paid Work and Family Responsibilities Submission

Sex Discrimination Unit

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

GPO Box 5218

Sydney

NSW, 2001

October 2005

Dear Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission,

Please find following the submission of the Australian Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPWA) to the HREOC on the issues raised in the discussion paper “Striking the Balance”.

This submission specifically addresses the terms of references in relation to business and working women and draws on consultations held with our many members.

BPWA would welcome any opportunity for further discussion in support of this submission and if you require any further information with respect to issues raised please contact myself or the vice president external policy, Yvonne Todd.

Ms Kay MorrisonMs Yvonne Todd

National President National V/President External Policy

Business and Profession Women Australia

PREFACE:

BPWA members are familiar with the responsibilities of working fulltime and managing families. Most members are well educated and actively involved in making changes to improve conditions for themselves and other women and girls in the workforce. The aims of BPWA are attachment 1.

Issues that are foremost in BPWA women’s awareness are raised at the National Conference for debate and support. Resolutions are supported through voting procedures that ensure that majority support is given to the most pressing issues for BPWA members. In the 2004 Conference resolutions there were issues that we ask are considered in your findings that are relevant to the terms of reference of this discussion paper. (See attachment 2)

The BPW Sydney club held extensive discussion dialogue sessions with its members and guests during August and September 2005. More than 30 women participated in the discussion over the two meetings, drawn from corporate, government and small business sectors, with many operating their own business, and actively participating in professional networks. The dialogue sessions canvassed the views of members and guests by asking the twelve key questions raised in the discussion paper.

Key Issues identified by BPWA

Workplace barriers and socio economic policies need to change:

to allow flexibility in transitions between work and family responsibilities,
so that the culture of overlooking mature aged women or women returning to work after caring for family members changes to allow women to move back into meaningful and well paid positions as their family responsibilities decrease;
so that women are able to negotiate workplace conditions that suit them and their out of work responsibilities.
that all workplaces are free from harassment, bullying and violence.

Reforms of legislation, policies, practices and services are needed including:

childcare and schooling provision needs to be changed to recognise that both schooling education and childcare are intrinsically linked and should work in partnerships at local levels,
offer flexible self funded income support systems as part of the workplace and make it encouraged from an early age so that financial support is available to those needing to be out of the workforce for family reasons.

To achieve positive change we need to change community attitudes by continuing to:

foster a change in media portrayal of what is expected of women and men in their unpaid work and family responsibilities;
support public figures who question the need for careers to be followed at the cost of families. This links with an increase in the most senior position becoming part time positions.
facilitate growth in permanent part-time instead of casual part-time employment in non-traditional vocations;
actively encourage young women to consider careers in non traditional areas that will enable balance at a later stage of their life.

KEY ISSUES (voted on by BPW members at the 2004 national conference).

Asylum seekers

Asylum seekers granted refugee status need to be able to build a new life in Australia and begin the healing process. The long term mental health damage resulting from living a life in limbo and separated from spouses and children effects the ability to participate in the workforce as well as maintain family and unpaid responsibilities.

Asylum seekers and refugees need special considerations and support in the ability to balance their family and work commitments.

Immigrant women are over represented in low paid, low status occupations and may be unfamiliar with their rights and may face a language barriers that impedes their ability to negotiated and ask for services, information and family friendly workplaces. They are vulnerable in the workplace and may experience isolation. Women from these backgrounds may come to believe that they have to put up with a certain amount of discomfort in the balancing of workplace and family commitments and the result of may lead to poor mental health and less family and community cohesion.

Childcare

BPW Australia requests the Australian Government to review and improve its policy on the funding of childcare so that it results in appropriate and affordable services being made available to working women and their families.

Specifically BPWA seeks:

a national review of childcare and preschool funding and services by national, state and territory governments in collaboration that results in recommendations for a high quality early childhood education and care system for Australian families and in the interim, until the review recommendations are implemented;
an increase in the number of government funded long day care childcare places to match demand;
a reduction in the gap between the costs of childcare and the child care benefit rebate by a financial increase in childcare benefit, an increase in the assessable income level for child care benefit entitlements, and a reduction in the taper rate (the rate that the rebate reduces against the earned income increase)

Bullying and harassment in the workplace

To make Australian workplaces more family friendly it is essential that workplaces must be safe places for women where they can undertake their work roles and be free to negotiate employment conditions without any concerns about violence, bullying or harassment. Women in workplaces or women negotiating workplace conditions whoa re subjected to workplace harassment will be affected in their ability to make career decisions and to participate fully in work. Reports including the recent Victorian report from the State-wide Steering Committee to reduce Violence Against Women in the Workplace [1](page10) remind us that “violence is a significant problem in many workplaces and that violence against women in the workplace is widespread and has significant costs for individuals, their families the workplaces and the community.”

BPW Australia ask that there be changes to the Commonwealth Workplace Relations Act to ensure the Act includes

a broad definition of bullying and harassment, and
specific clauses requiring each award and certified agreement to incorporate the definition of bullying and harassment as stated in the Act, and
a strong statement of the unacceptability of bullying and harassment in the workplace as preconditions to certification or registration of awards and workplace agreements.

Paid maternity leave

To enable a balance between childbearing and working a national government funded Paid Maternity Leave scheme is required. This will ensure that women take adequate time off work for the sake of their health and that of their baby.

BPW Australia asks the Australian Government to

implement a national government funded Paid Maternity Leave scheme that
meets the minimum standards established by the OECD nations

is indexed to maintain its value over time
ensures that women take adequate time off work for the sake of their health and that of their baby.

remove the Australian government’s reservation against paid maternity leave in the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.

MORE ISSUES

Other issues that effect women’s balance between unpaid work, paid work and family responsibilities that are of concern to our BPW membership include concerns about the impact of:

The proposed changes to industrial relations and workplace conditions will effect families. Small and large businesses alike should have support from the government to implement flexible work practices but ensure that employees should be able to be productive and achieve a family work life balance. A flexible workplace, without other programs which address the pay gap for women and the different life experiences of women will not necessarily achieve balance and equity. While supporting greater flexibility in work practices, it is important to note that it there are indications that the current government’s industrial relations reform will impact women and those if part time work to a greater degree. In reviewing work-life balance, there needs to be a holistic assessment of work place relations and social policy. ACTU President Sharon Burrow presented a submission to the Federal government’s parliamentary enquiry onto Balancing Work and Family that shows that the government plans for new workplace laws will make it harder for working parents. [2]

The effect of unwanted pregnancies and reduced access to abortions. An unwanted pregnancy will effect a mother’s capacity to become financially independent and secure. Access to independent accredited professional family planning advice and access to a choice of termination methods including the RU486 will reduce unwanted pregnancies.

The changes to income support for women with disabilities and mothers raising children on their own.

Domestic violence: Women who suffer domestic violence and bullying in the home find it impossibly difficult to balance work and family responsibilities. In many cases domestic violence continues and can be carried over into workplaces.

Timeout of the workforce: Women who have been out of the workforce find it difficult to find permanent well paid positions when they want to return as they can not get family friendly practices, will not have leave entitlement, are vulnerable and do not negotiate, and we have a culture of not employing older workers. The culture needs to change.
Women, particularly after raising children, need access to services that will support them going back to work or changing their career. Childcare (and respite/nursing home care) should be easier to obtain and be affordable for all. These arrangements must be flexible (what happens if you need care in the evening to work).

It should also be acknowledged that many “older” workers want to keep working. Employers should recognise this and leverage the benefits of it (eg. set up mentoring relationships between experienced (older) employees and new or less experienced (younger) employees. It should be easier for employers to implement strategies to make this possible for example job sharing.

Access to education and training:

Women need to have access to training and development opportunities so that they can more easily re-enter the workforce. A national database that matches people that have been out of the workplace after caring responsibilities with opportunities.

Barriers to men doing more of the unpaid family work: Providing men with the opportunity to pick up more of the unpaid work required to raise a family does not translate into them doing it. Therefore either an incentive to pick it up or disincentive if they do not pick it up is required. If men continue to leave unpaid work to women who are working and refuse to share the load equally then women eventually leave those men. This will and already is creating a class of men who are disassociated from their families and community, and who take no responsibility for other members within our society.

This issue affects everyone – male and female and future generations. There should be an education component in schools for both males and females on the amount of work it takes to do the housework, cook, shop, care for family members such as young children and ageing parents

Access to financial support: A fund similar to superannuation and HECs debt should be in place for assisting families when they have children particularly women. It should be a flexible income stream for workers who expect to have carer and family responsibilities that they contribute to while they have minimal family demand and then access income while they have high demands. This fund should be flexible enough to enable them to contribute and withdraw funds as needed and incorporate similar concepts as a HECs debt in that while income is low contribution are not required but as income increases, repayments or contributions are paid into the fund. Employer contributions could be added so that women can choose to take time from the paid employment situation and still have financial independence.

Community misunderstanding about the need for Communities to have children. Without children and families there will be no future for any one. Economics will not keep the world alive.

There was some concern from women and men who choose not to have children.They say that essentially they are paying for services they do not use and covering for their colleagues with children. There is sometimes inappropriate resentment from employers and colleagues when staff need time for family issues. This is a form of abuse and is divisive within the community.

This is of great concern that any community could put economic values before community values and that individuals do not recognise the need for someone in the community to have and raise children. All the community benefits from children growing into adults and so all the community has a responsibility to ensure that this is done without creating a burden on any one sector of the community.

An education and media promotion is needed to show employers and the community why they all need to support carers for children in the community and to show them the benefits they get for their support.

Sydney BPWClub Responses to the Twelve Key Questions:

1.Do women's and men's different paid and unpaid work obligations affect their economic outcomes, health, relationships and life chances?

The response to this question was yes – however all agreed that this seems like an obvious answer to this question.

The view of respondents was that this is mainstream reality and represents the reality of the vast majority of women. The question was strongly viewed as stating the obvious. Would equality between men and women require a more equal sharing of paid and unpaid work?

2.What effects, if any, do external factors such as partner and community attitudes, social policy or workplace relations have in shaping men's and women's decisions about paid work and family arrangements?

Many women want to get back in the labour force after raising their family. Their skills may not have kept up with current market needs, they may want part time work; how do we get recruitment agencies to stop treating these valuable candidates like lepers? They often suffer a massive loss of confidence when applying for new work; this can’t be addressed overnight. Perhaps a national database should be constructed.

3.What would be the effects of a more equal sharing of unpaid household work between men and women?

External factors have a major part to play in shaping decisions about paid work and family arrangements, including social and employer acceptance of flexible work conditions; acceptance of sabbaticals as the norm; acceptance of paternity leave and the obligations associated with equal sharing of caring responsibilities. Rates of depression and stress would be reduced for both sexes.

4.Does the imbalance in the sharing of paid and unpaid work by men and women affect children, and if so, how?

The way it affects children is that often the mother feels overloaded (the superwoman myth still exists). No-one (women or men) cannot “do it all”. This results in women feeling tired, stressed and not able to interact with their children as well as they would like.

Some women in the group believed that women should rethink their expectations – men don’t necessarily do things the same way (for example house work) and women should accept this difference. As women we should learn to respect ourselves and allow others to contribute.

Women acknowledge some men feel they have little choice in their being the “bread-winner”. This may be due to culture or generation but children who see this today are likely to consider it normal and the cycle continues.

There was no doubt that more equal sharing of unpaid household work would increase choice and access for women to education and the workplace, coupled with acceptance of part time work.

The current skills shortage experience by business within Australia could be addressed through social change and greater workplace flexibility.

5.What are the best ways of engaging men in the work of caring and other unpaid work?

Women are equal earners. Prior to having children, women and men often equally share chores around the house– this seems to be accepted by both sexes as appropriate. Once children arrive (or other caring responsibilities such as elderly parents), the focus shifts to the woman doing more housework and caring for children (and others).

Respondents agreed that the imbalance affects children and the future social environment.

There was clear appreciation among the group of the role that both parents play in socialising the next generation. Expectations of the responsibility for sharing unpaid household work must be altered and demonstrated to children for there to be longer term, sustainable change.